Appendix G: Generating Species and Backgrounds
Species and backgrounds in Unbound Realms are generated using a 20-point system. You can create new species and backgrounds for your realm by using the following guidelines. Each step includes a point value, which illustrates how many points are used in that step. We’ll use Human and Entertainer as examples, illustrating how each trait should be structured.
Species
Most species feature separate major and minor traits, allocating 12 points to their major traits, and 8 points to their minor traits. Separating traits into major and minor allows for subspecies and easy cross-species reproduction, resulting in hybrid species such as Half-Elves. Your realm might also include a series of minor trait collections, such as Dhampir, that are only applied to existing species rather than existing as their own species.
No Divergent Traits
If your species could not reproduce with another species or facilitate a separate subspecies such as Dhampir, you can instead consolidate all 20 points into a single trait pool.
Major Traits
A species's major traits represent the dominant features of a species, shared by both full-blooded members as well as most half-blooded.
Step 1: Ability Score Increase (8 points)
A species’s major traits should offer +2 to one ability score or +1 to two ability scores.
Building Human, Step 1
Humans are versatile, so we’ll allow them to allocate their ability score increases freely.
- Ability Score Increase: Increase an ability score of your choice by 2, or increase two different ability scores of your choice by 1.
Step 2: Age
Age has no mechanical impact on a species but helps to set different species apart. For instance, a species that only lives a few years will likely view life differently than a human who lives around 80 years. Another species might live hundreds—or even thousands—of years with an even more drastically different view of life. Regardless, the age description should mention both if (or when) a creature reaches maturity and veneration, as well as how long they live in general.
Building Humans, Step 2
- Age: Humans reach adulthood around 20, middle age around 40, veneration around 60, and live upwards of 100 years.
Step 3: Languages
Each species should grant two languages: one that is unique to the species (or possibly shared with multiple species that hail from the same area) as well as the language shared amongst all species, which is commonly referred to as Basic or Common.
Building Human, Step 3
Humans gain proficiency in the Common tongue. To represent their prevalence and versatility, the second language can be freely chosen from those available to your realm during character creation.
- Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and one language of your choice.
Step 4: Free Selection (4 points)
The remaining 4 points can be spent as you see fit from those available species and universal traits found in appendix I.
Building Human, Step 4
In most realms, Humans are the most commonplace species and come with a unique species trait choice called Human Adaptability, which we’ll spend the remaining 4 points on, bringing us to the 12-point allotment for major traits.
Human Adaptability
As a part of your major traits, you also gain one of the following adaptability traits:
- Adaptive: When you or a creature you can see that can see and understand you makes an ability test, you can grant a dPB boon die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
- Inadaptive: When a creature you can see within 30 feet makes an ability test, you can inflict a dPB bane die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
Step 5: Size
The majority of playable species are Medium, which has no impact on their traits. Unbound Realms also facilitates Tiny, Small, and Large playable species, however, which come with their own ingrained perks and penalties and can be found later in this appendix. You can also customize existing species by replacing their existing size traits with a different size's.
Building Humans, Step 3
Regardless of their height and weight, humans are typically Medium.
Size Traits: Medium
- Size: Your size is Medium.
Step 6: Type
While every species is unique in some way, they almost always share the creature type of Humanoid. However, many other common playable creature types in many campaigns as well. Since Humanoid is the most common type, it has no impact on generating species. Other types, such as Robot or Aberration, however, come with their own perks and penalties. As with sizes, you can also customize existing species by replacing their existing type traits with a different type's.
Building Humans, Step 5
Humans are Humanoids.
Type Traits: Humanoid
- Type: Your type is Humanoid.
Step 7: Compile
Finally, we compile our new species in order of the steps provided. Feel free to add a brief description to the species indicating their role in your realm and what sets them apart from other species.
Minor Traits
Minor traits represent a second set of traits, facilitating on-the-fly half species. For instance, you could take a Human's major traits and an Elf's minor traits—or vice versa—to create a traditional Half-Elf.
Some species might have multiple sets of minor traits, such as Elves, representing their unique subspecies.
A species has 8 remaining points to allocate to their minor traits, which can be spent freely. Commonly, a species will feature a +1 to an additional ability score (4 points) with the remaining 4 points spent on available species or universal traits.
Building Human, Minor Traits
Since humans are common and versatile, we’re going to use their final 8 points to give them two additional ability score increases.
- Ability Score Increase: Increase an ability score of your choice by 2, or increase two different ability scores of your choice by 1.
Humans
Driven by ambition and adaptability, Humans are a diverse and ever-changing species, shaping the world through their ingenuity and boundless potential.
Human Traits
As a Human, you gain the following special traits.
Major Traits
- Ability Score Increase: Increase an ability score of your choice by 2, or increase two different ability scores of your choice by 1.
- Age: Humans reach adulthood around 20, middle age around 40, veneration around 60, and live upwards of 100 years.
- Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and one language of your choice.
Human Adaptability
As a part of your major traits, you also gain one of the following adaptability traits:
- Adaptive: When you or a creature you can see that can see and understand you makes an ability test, you can grant a dPB boon die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
- Inadaptive: When a creature you can see within 30 feet makes an ability test, you can inflict a dPB bane die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
Size Traits: Medium
- Size: Your size is Medium.
Type Traits: Humanoid
- Type: Your type is Humanoid.
Minor Traits
- Ability Score Increase: Increase an ability score of your choice by 2, or increase two different ability scores of your choice by 1.
Species vs. Background Traits
When generating a species, you may find that a certain background trait better fits your species than any available species traits. In those circumstances, you are fine to instead add a background trait since they are balanced against each other.
Sizes
Unbound Realms facilitates playable species of size Tiny to Large. Generally, Gargantuan and Huge are not suitable for playable species since they do not fit in many of the places in which adventures occur.
Each size comes with a series of size traits, including both benefits and penalties, to help species of that size feel distinct from their peers.
Since each of these sizes are "net-zero" on trait points, they can be applied to existing species to change their size by replacing the existing size traits with the new set. For instance, you could change a Human's size by removing their Size Traits: Medium section and replacing them with Size Traits: Large.
Size Traits: Large
- Size: Your size is Large.
- Ability Score Maximum: Your Ability Score Maximum for Dexterity decreases by 2.
- Reflex Conflictive: You can't have advantage on Reflex saving throws.
- Reflex Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on Reflex saving throws.
- Striker: Melee weapon damage dice increase by one step for you (from d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to 2d4, 2d4 to d10, d10 to d12, d12 to 2d6, or 2d6 to 3d4). If your melee weapon damage dice would already be 3d4, you instead deal an additional 1d4 with damage rolls with the weapon.
- Swift: Your walking speed increases by 5 feet.
- Virile: The size of each of your Hit Dice increase by one step (from d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d10, or d10 to d12).
Size Traits: Medium
- Size: Your size is Medium.
Size Traits: Small
- Size: Your size is Small.
- Reflex Consistency: You can't have disadvantage on Reflex saving throws.
- Slow: Your walking speed decreases by 5 feet.
- Undersized: You can't use heavy shields. Additionally, you can't wield weapons with the two-handed property, and if a weapon has the versatile property, you can only wield it in two hands.
Size Traits: Tiny
- Size: Your size is Tiny.
- Ability Score Maximum: Your Ability Score Maximum for Dexterity increases by 2.
- Fragile: The size of each of your Hit Dice decreases by one step (from d12 to d10, d10 to d8, d8 to d6, or d6 to d4).
- Pintsized: You can't use medium or heavy shields. Additionally, you can't wield weapons with the two-handed or versatile property, and you can only wield one-handed weapons in two hands unless they have the light property.
- Reflex Consistency: You can't have disadvantage on Reflex saving throws.
- Reflex Resilience: You have advantage on Reflex saving throws.
- Slow: Your walking speed decreases by 10 feet.
Types
In addition to the varying sizes, Unbound Realms facilitates playing species of other types. While the majority of species fall under the Humanoid umbrella, not all do. This first book introduces three types—Aberration, Humanoid, and Robot—while subsequent books will introduce additional playable species tapes, eventually covering all 15 creature types in the game.
Each type comes with a series of type traits, including both benefits and penalties, to help species of that type feel distinct from their peers.
Since each of these types are "net-zero" on trait points, they can be applied to existing species to change their type by replacing the existing type traits with the new set. For instance, you could change a Human's type by removing their Type Traits: Humanoid section and replacing them with Type Traits: Aberration.
Type Traits: Aberration
- Type: Your type is Aberration.
- Aberrant Appearance: You have advantage on Intimidation checks and disadvantage on Persuasion checks when engaging with non-Abberation creatures.
- Aberrant Physiology: You have advantage on healing rolls made from expending Hit Dice, but healing rolls from other sources, such as powers or consumables, have disadvantage.
- Mental Resistance: You have resistance to mental damage.
- Poison Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on saving throws against effects that deal poison damage, and poison damage rolls made against you have advantage.
Type Traits: Humanoid
- Type: Your type is Humanoid.
Type Traits: Robot
- Type: Your type is Robot.
- Armor Integration: You can not wear armor, but you can have armor integrated into your body over the course of 8 hours. This work must be completed by someone with roboticist's implements, and you must be proficient in armor in order to have it integrated. While integrated, armor cannot be remove from your person unwillingly while you are conscious and unrestrained.
- Breathless: You do not need to breathe.
- Flexible Techcaster: You no longer require material components to cast modules.
- Lightning Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on saving throws against effects that deal lightning damage, and lightning damage rolls made against you have advantage.
- Self-Sustaining: You do not need to eat or drink.
- Software Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on saving throws against software modules.
- Tireless: The length of a long rest is reduced for you by one step (from 8 hours with 6 hours of sleep to 4 hours with 3 hours of sleep, or 4 hours with 3 hours of sleep to 1 hour with no sleep required).
Backgrounds
Like species, most backgrounds feature separate major and minor traits, allocating 12 points to their major traits and 8 points to their minor traits. Separating traits into major and minor allows for subbackgrounds and easy cross-background selections for those with more dynamic histories.
No Divergent Traits
When generating new backgrounds, notably for a specific character, you can simply consolidate all 20 points into a single trait pool.
Major Traits
A background's major traits represent the dominant features of a background.
Step 1: Ability Score Increase (4 points)
A background's major traits should offer +1 to one ability score.
Building Entertainer, Step 1
Entertainers are naturally focused on gathering attention, so Charisma is the obvious choice here.
- Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Step 2: Proficiencies (4 points)
A background's major traits should offer a total of 4 points worth of proficiencies in skills, languages, or tools.
Building Entertainer, Step 2
We're going to focus on two major skills for Entertainer: Acrobatics and Performance.
- Skills: You are proficient in Acrobatics and Performance.
Step 3: Free Selection (4 points)
The remaining 4 points can be spent as you see fit from those available background and universal traits found in appendix I.
Building Entertainer, Step 3
All types of entertaining call for some sort of physical endurance. Additionally, entertainers can improve the time of their adventuring companions, so we're going to choose Exertion Training and Restful as our remaining options.
- Exertion Training: You are trained in Exertion saving throws.
- Restful: You can choose to reduce the length of a short rest for you and up to five other creatures by one step (from 1 hour to 10 minutes or 10 minutes to 1 minute). This feature refreshes after a long rest.
Minor Traits
Minor traits represent a second set of traits, facilitating on-the-fly half backgrounds. For instance, you could take Soldier's major traits and Creator's minor traits—or vice versa—to create a military blacksmith.
Some backgrounds might have multiple sets of minor traits, such as Soldiers, representing their unique subbackgrounds.
A background has 8 remaining points to allocate to their minor traits, which can be spent freely. Commonly, a back will feature a background feat (4 points) with the remaining 4 points spent on available background or universal traits.
Building Entertainer, Minor Traits
We're going to create two subbackgrounds for Entertainer based on the two skills we chose for the major traits—Acrobatics and Performance—named Acrobat and Performer, respectively.
For Acrobat, we're going to take the Acrobat skill feat to grant us expertise in Acrobatics and its attack replacer as a bonus action. We're going to spend the remaining 4 points to grab the Adaptive Dexterity trait for an on-demand boon die and the Skilled Attacker trait to further shrink the action cost of Tumble to a reaction.
Acrobat
- Background Feat: You gain the Acrobat minor feat.
- Adaptive Dexterity: Whenever you make a Dexterity test, you can choose to add a dPB boon die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
- Skilled Attacker: You can use the Tumble attack replacer as a bonus action.
For Performer, we're going to take the Performer skill feat to grant us expertise in Performance and its attack replacer as a bonus action. We're going to spend the remaining 4 points to grab the Adaptive Charisma for an on-demand boon die and the Skilled Attacker trait to further shrink the action cost of Distract to a reaction.
Performer
- Background Feat: You gain the Performer minor feat.
- Adaptive Charisma: Whenever you make a Charisma test, you can choose to add a dPB boon die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
- Skilled Attacker: You can use the Distract attack replacer as a bonus action.
Equipment
Backgrounds should also grant 1,000 cr worth of starting equipment. You can simply grant the credits to allow a player to choose on their own, or generate from scratch. Generally, your background is where your clothing comes from. It also grants a canteen and three rations, and other thematically appropriate equipment.
Building Entertainer, Equipment
For Entertainer, we'll start with their eponymous clothes. We'll then add the standard canteen and three rations. Finally, we're going to grant them a pouch to contain their smaller items. Finally, we'll grant them a bell, which can function as an impromptu musical instrument in addition to its normal functionality.
- (a) Entertainer's clothes, a canteen and three rations, a bell, a pouch, and 820 cr; or (b) 1,000 cr
Custom Clothing
Each written background includes a unique set of clothing, which can be used as a template to create new clothing for your background as well.
Background-specific clothing should focus on a specific niche ability check for that background. Entertainer's clothes are designed to prevent disadvantage on ability checks to entertain, for example, while Criminal's clothes instead prevent disadvantage on ability checks made to conceal items on your person. You can copy existing clothes for your new background or create your own using the existing options as a guideline.
Entertainer
An entertainer is a person who provides amusement or enjoyment to an audience through various means.
Entertainer Traits
As an Entertainer, you gain the following background traits.
Major Traits
- Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
- Skills: You are proficient in Acrobatics and Performance.
- Exertion Training: You are trained in Exertion saving throws.
- Restful: You can choose to reduce the length of a short rest for you and up to five other creatures by one step (from 1 hour to 10 minutes or 10 minutes to 1 minute). This feature refreshes after a long rest.
Minor Traits
Entertainers have two choices for minor traits, representing their distinct sub-backgrounds.
Acrobat
An acrobat is a performer who displays spectacular feats of balance, agility, and coordination, often involving complex movements and contortions.
- Background Feat: You gain the Acrobat minor feat.
- Adaptive Dexterity: Whenever you make a Dexterity test, you can choose to add a dPB boon die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
- Skilled Attacker: You can use the Tumble attack replacer as a bonus action.
Performer
A performer is someone who entertains an audience through acting, singing, dancing, playing music, or other artistic displays.
- Background Feat: You gain the Performer minor feat.
- Adaptive Charisma: Whenever you make a Charisma test, you can choose to add a dPB boon die to the result (no action required). This feature refreshes after a short rest.
- Skilled Attacker: You can use the Distract attack replacer as a bonus action.
Equipment
- (a) Entertainer's clothes, a canteen and three rations, a bell, a pouch, and 820 cr; or (b) 1,000 cr